Compare new visitors to return visitors

Adobe Analytics does not have a default report that explicitly compares new visitors to return visitors. However, you can obtain this information by minor calculations or segmentation. All first-time visits are technically also first--time visitors. Therefore, you can take the number of first-time visits and subtract this number from total unique visitors to find the number of return visitors.

Using Analysis Workspace

Create two segments.

Label one as "Return Visits" and define it as "Visit container where Visit Number is greater than 1".

Label the other as "First Visits" and define it as "Exclude Visit container where Visit Number is greater than 1".

In a freeform table, drag the desired breakdown, then drag the two segments over as metrics.

Using Ad Hoc Analysis

Ad Hoc Analysis has a default segment that includes only first-time visitors.

Open Ad Hoc Analysis and navigate to a Unique Visitors report.

Drag the segment First Time Visitors as a metric into the workspace.

Create a segment with the following rule:

"Include Visit container where visit number is greater than 1".

Drag this segment as another metric into the workspace, so you to see the two metrics side-by-side.

Using Report Builder

Because of ReportBuilder's integration with Excel, you can request a visit number report and a unique visitors report in the same workbook. Then, you can use Excel's formula function to automatically calculate the correct value.

Open Excel, log in to ReportBuilder, and create a request.

Specify that this request is in the context of a Visitor Retention > Visit Number report.

Specify the report suite, and date range. Make sure that the granularity is Aggregated, then click Next.

Drag the metric Instances into the Metrics box, then click Finish.

Create another request, this time in the context of a traffic report. Make sure that the report suite, date range, and granularity are the same, and click Next.

Drag the desired unique visitors metric into the metrics box, then click Finish.

You now have two requests in this workbook. Take an unused cell and place the following formula in it:

=B2-B5
(Where cell B2 contains unique visitor data and cell B5 contains first visit data. All other visit number data can be ignored.)

The result in this new cell is first-time visitors minus total unique visitors, which is equal to return visitors.